Months after the White House vowed to punish Saudi Arabia for cutting oil output in defiance of American wishes, the Biden administration has ended its talk of retaliation against the Persian Gulf kingdom, emphasizing the two countries’ long-standing security ties and Riyadh’s steps to back Washington’s priorities in Yemen and Ukraine.

Officials instead point to congressional measures seeking to limit future defense cooperation as a chief repercussion for the OPEC Plus cartel’s production decision in October, which the administration viewed as a potential boon for Russia’s war in Ukraine and a political blow to President Biden ahead of last year’s midterm elections. The about-face underscores the dearth of palatable options available to U.S. policymakers amid intensifying competition with Russia and China playing out in the Middle East and beyond.

[In other words, it recognizes the reality that had been apparent all along. The real reason that the White House dropped Biden’s initial plan is that they need the Saudis far more under Biden’s energy plan than we needed them under Trump’s. And that’s because Biden is actively discouraging investment in oil production in the US through executive order 13990 and a raft of other industry-hostile policies. — Ed]